They may be on completely opposite sides of the world, but the food scenes of Leeds and Western Australian share a surprising amount of similarities. Take lavender for example. It may not be the first thing that springs to mind when thinking about Western Australia, but it’s something the state has in abundance. Lavender farm after lavender farm is peppered across the state, daubing huge swathes of land with beautiful vivid purples and amazing aromas. And what does Lavender have in common Leeds? Leeds’ very own Lavender Queen of course, Lianne Marie Mease!
I’m sure Lianne’s is a familiar name to most readers of this blog, if not most foodie-inclined people in Leeds. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock and have missed out on her general wonderfulness, Lianne is the author of an amazing food blog Everything Goes with Toast, lover of lavender, producer of lavender jam and all-round oracle of, and advocate for, Leeds and its foodie wonders. A talented lady indeed, Lianne is renowned for using local ingredients to create imaginative and inspiring dishes that are guaranteed to make you instantly ravenous whenever you read her blog.
Lianne kindly invited me to her ‘Lavender Kitchen’, where she treated me to a sumptuous, homemade afternoon tea. Oh. My. Adorning a cake stand were three different finger sandwiches made with an assortment of breads and filled with carrot and homemade hummus, roasted red pepper and goats cheese, and cucumber, fennel and cream cheese. The hummus in particular was exceptional, made using local pumpkin oil and shelled chickpeas to give the hummus a moreish, creamy texture. To follow were Lianne’s signature lavender scones, filled with her lavender jam and mascarpone cheese. It was the first time I’d ever tasted lavender jam, and it certainly won’t be the last – it was just sensational! The majority of recipes are available on Everything Goes with Toast – so have a peek and have a go!
In between delicious mouthfuls, I learnt a lot more about the lovely lady behind the blog:
The Lavender Crusader
Describing herself as a ‘Lavender Crusader’, Lianne grows lavender in her front garden, which she picks and dries ready for use in her imaginative recipes. She makes and sells her trademark lavender jam on her blog and at various fairs and events, as well as finding countless other innovative ways of using it. She also has the most amazing lavender-themed kitchen I have ever seen – kitchen envy much?
So, why lavender? Lianne’s love of lavender stems from its unusual composition as a foodie flower. She told me that it’s one of the few flowers that has a scent and a taste, and so it struck her as a really interesting ingredient to cook with. If you too love lavender, or are intrigued by Lianne’s lavender crusade, you’ll find many lavender themed recipes on her blog.
The science of taste
If you’re an avid Everything Goes with Toast reader like me, you’ll know that Lianne has an amazing sense of creativity when it comes to her culinary creations. Lianne is inspired by amazing ingredients and has a fascination with the science of taste. After reading Nicki Segnit’s Flavour Thesaurus a few years ago, Lianne began to look at food at a macro gastronomy level, learning what makes certain flavour combinations work so well together, such as her beautiful roasted red pepper and goats cheese finger sandwiches. Lianne explained that when you break down food into its individual components, you can find foods that have a similar makeup which usually means they will work well together – and she’s since come up with some really unusual but delicious combinations!
Paris
Paris is Lianne’s spiritual home, and since getting married a couple of years ago she made her pact that her and her husband will go every year for their anniversary. Lianne recently gave birth to her gorgeous baby boy, Mikey, so she hasn’t made it back this year, but she vows to return as soon as she can. Our afternoon tea was served with a little taste of Paris in the form of Cherry Blossom tea from Lianne’s Parisien favourite, Mariage Frères. Like a big, soothing hug in a teacup, it was one of the nicest teas I’ve ever tasted – yet another fabulous foodie discovery through Lianne!
Tea
Lianne’s into tea in a BIG way. Her Lavender Kitchen is home to a bewildering array of varieties, and she’s currently planning a tea crawl of Leeds with Kirsty Ware (@Gazpachodragon), following on from Kirsty’s recent coffee crawl of Leeds’ fine coffee establishments. Watch this space for more details! And you’ve guessed it – Lianne has a particular penchant for lavender tea, which she makes by mixing lavender with earl grey or green tea.
Lianne’s favourite food?
For such a foodie, you may be surprised to hear that Lianne’s favourite food is mashed potato! Her ultimate comfort food, Lianne confessed to often ordering sides of mashed potato when she eats out! Of course, Lianne has found many ways to jazz up the humble mashed potato and her blog is a haven for tantalising recipes such as avocado
and cheddar mash… *Rushes to gather ingredients*
I could have chatted with Lianne for hours, and our afternoon tea really reinforced to me just how lucky we are in Leeds. Yes, we have amazing restaurants, bars, markets and producers, but we also have a rich tapestry of passionate foodies doing unique and exciting things, such as Lianne growing lavender in her front garden, making amazing jam and blogging about her use of ingredients in an intelligent and innovative way. You can find more of Lianne’s amazing recipes on Everything Goes with Toast, where you can also buy her jam. Don’t forget to keep up with her on facebook too!